The writings of A.H. Lloyd

I've always loved raspberries. Many years ago my grandparents grew them and some of my fondest memories with them are of us going out and picking them fresh for breakfast.

So when I got a house with a decent yard, I decided I would plant some of my own. I went to a local greenhouse, bought some plants and placed them where the soil and sunlight seemed ideal.

There were only a few berries produced that first year, but the year after there were many more and it seemed like I would achieve my goal in the following summer.

And then the deer showed up. Our area has been overrun with deer and until they were culled last year, they were getting into everything. Nothing would deter them because they were starving. They ate the berries right off canes along with just about everything else they could reach. I got no berries for two years and basically gave up.

That's when I began to notice the wild raspberries. Hardier and more aggressive than my cultivated variety, they've been quietly overrunning the opposite side of my yard. This year they've really taken off and I've already picked several pints of sweet, juicy berries. They lack the tartness of the cultivated red kind, but my kids don't seem to mind.

The best part is: I had to do nothing but pick them. They're displacing weed plants and filling in the gaps left by fussier plants that I don't have the time to support. I just show up and pick them.

The lesson is that nature often knows best. I did research and placed my plants where I thought they would grow best, but in fact the other side of the yard was much better - so much better than wild raspberries moved in to claim it.

This lesson that applies to writing.

Sometimes the plot doesn't go where you want it to. I'm working through the final edits on Book Three of the Man of Destiny series and I'm recalling all the plot points I wanted to use but had to abandon. My manuscript has a number of outlines attached to it that I likewise abandoned. I knew what I wanted to do, but the story thought otherwise.

I plan to publish it later this month, so watch for it. If all goes according to plan, Book Four will come out in August and the "Summer of Destiny" will be complete.